MS Windward

The MS Windward was a cruise ship that was built in 1993 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Kloster Cruise (Norwegian Cruise Line) as Windward. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed Norwegian Wind. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises as SuperStar Aquarius.[1][5] The ship remained in passenger service for the cruise line until the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020. The ship was sold for scrap as Arius in 2022 following the liquidation of the cruise line's parent company after filing for bankruptcy, which also led to the demise of Star Cruises.

Not to be confused with Star Aquarius.
Norwegian Wind in Juneau, Alaska.
History
Name
  • 1993–1998: Windward
  • 1998–2007: Norwegian Wind
  • 2007–2022: SuperStar Aquarius
  • 2022: Arius
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
BuilderChantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France
Cost$240 million[4]
Yard numberD30[1]
Laid down16 December 1991[3]
Launched14 November 1992[1]
Completed1993
Acquired4 May 1993[1]
Maiden voyage1993
In service14 May 1993[1]
Out of service2020
Identification
FateScrapped at Alang, India in 2022.
General characteristics (as built)[1]
Class and typeDreamward-class cruise ship
Tonnage
Length190.04 m (623 ft 6 in)
Beam28.85 m (94 ft 8 in)
Draught7.00 m (23 ft 0 in)
Ice class1 C[3]
Installed power
Propulsion
  • Twin propellers
  • 3 thrusters (2 bow, 1 stern)[5]
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (service)[5]
Capacity1,246 passengers (all berths)[5]
General characteristics (as Superstar Aquarius)[3]
Tonnage
Length229.84 m (754 ft 1 in)
Beam32.10 m (105 ft 4 in)
Draught7.01 m (23 ft 0 in)
Depth9.66 m (31 ft 8 in)
Decks10 (passenger accessible)[4]
Speed
  • 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (service)
  • 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) (maximum)[6]
Capacity
  • 1,750 passengers (lower berths)[6]
  • 2,156 passengers (all berths)[4]
Crew700[4]

History
Windward in Juneau, Alaska.

Entering service in 1993 as Windward, she was the second of two sister vessels built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique for Kloster Cruise for use under their Norwegian Cruise Line brand. In 1998 she was lengthened by insertion of a 130-foot (40 m) midsection and was renamed as Norwegian Wind. This work was completed by Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Norwegian Wind in Juneau, Alaska.

One of her early cruises was a private charter for Prudential Assurance of the UK. In January 1995 a 5-day cruise of the Caribbean was undertaken for the top 350 salespeople in the UK Direct Sales Force and their partners. For the booking the cruise liner had additional wording placed below her name on hull and funnel – 'Salute to the Stars' (The Prudential Sales force competition).

SuperStar Aquarius in Port of Keelung, 2017.

In 2004 ownership of Norwegian Wind was transferred to NCL's parent company Star Cruises, in anticipation of transference of the ship to the Star Cruises' fleet.[2] The transfer took place in April 2007, when the ship was renamed SuperStar Aquarius. After refitting and refurbishment of the public areas to cater to the Asia-Pacific market, as well as a new livery to match the rest of the Star Cruises fleet, the vessel was initially based at the Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong. Subsequently, she was based at various ports in the region.[7][8][9] The ship continued to sail for the cruise line until early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the cruise line industry, and in April was, with SuperStar Gemini, leased to the Singapore Government to provide accommodation for foreign workers who had recovered from COVID-19.[10][11]

In January 2022, Genting Hong Kong, the parent company of Star Cruises filed for bankruptcy caused by the shutdown.[12] As part of the liquidation, Superstar Aquarius was reported to have been sold for scrap along with sister ship SuperStar Gemini, as well as Star Pisces.[13][14][15] In June the ship was laid up with SuperStar Gemini at Hambantota, Sri Lanka, until both ships departed for Alang shipbreaking yard, India, where they were beached on 26 November 2022.[16][17][18]

References
  1. Asklander, Micke. "M/S Windward (1993)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  2. Newman, Doug (2008-04-15). "Lloyd's List: Three NCL Ships Nearly Sold". At Sea with Doug Newman. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  3. "SuperStar Aquarius (21375)". DNV Vessel Register. DNV. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  4. Ward, Douglas (2006). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. pp. 449–450. ISBN 981-246-739-4.
  5. Miller, William H. Jr. (1995). The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860–1994. Mineola: Dover Publications. pp. 136. ISBN 0-486-28137-X.
  6. "Our fleet – SuperStar Aquarius". Star Cruises. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  7. "SuperStar Aquarius makes maiden voyage to Bintulu Calling every Tuesday from November to March" (PDF).
  8. "Star Cruises Celebrates SuperStar Aquarius' Inaugural Voyage to the city of Puerto Princesa" (PDF).
  9. "Star Cruises Continues to Amass Accolades from International Events Across Asia". Star Cruises.
  10. Hutcheon, Helen; Kalosh, Anne; Payne, Holly (1 May 2020). "May 1 updates: Genting duo for Singapore housing". Seatrade Cruise News. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  11. Dake, Shawn J (Fall 2021). ""Cruise Ships 2020: The Year in Review" (PDF). Power Ships. Warwick, RI: Steamship Historical Society of America. pp. 37–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2021.
  12. McGillivray, Robert (19 January 2022). "Genting Files for Bankruptcy, What's Next for its Cruise Brands?". CruiseHive. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  13. "Weekly Vessel Scrapping Report: 2022 Week 17". Ship & Bunker. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  14. "3 more cruise ships en bloc to the shipwreckers". Cruisedeck.de. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  15. Boonzaier, Jonathan (25 April 2022). "Scrap buyers pick up trio of cruise ships from Genting Hong Kong's liquidators". TradeWinds. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  16. Staff, C. I. N. (2022-07-14). "Former Star Cruises Ships Set for Month Long Lay Up in Sri Lanka". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  17. McGillivray, Robert. "Former Norwegian Cruise Line Ships Arrive for Scrapping". CruiseHive. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  18. "ARIUS". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

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